NEW YORK (AP) — Even before the first pitch of the 2015 season is thrown, an eye-popping baseball record will be set.

The average salary when opening-day rosters are finalized Sunday will break the $4 million barrier for the first time, according to a study of all major league contracts by The Associated Press. Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw tops players at $31 million and Los Angeles projects to open the season with a payroll at about $270 million, easily a record.

“We're enjoying a tremendously bountiful season in baseball,” said Toronto pitcher R.A. Dickey, the 2012 NL Cy Young Award winner with the New York Mets.

Fueled by the largest two-year growth in more than a decade, the average salary projects to be about $4.25 million, according to the AP study, with the final figure depending on how many players are put on the disabled list before the first pitch is thrown. That is up from $3.95 million on the first day of last season and $3.65 million when 2013 began.

“MLB's revenues have grown in recent years, with the increase in national and local broadcast rights fees being a primary contributor,” said Dan Halem, MLB's chief legal officer. “It is expected that player compensation will increase as club revenues increase.”

Baseball's average was approximately $50,000 in 1976, the last year before free agency. Back then, many players took offseason jobs to pay their bills.

Now almost all of them do their heavy lifting in gyms, not warehouses.

In a $9 billion industry propelled by ballpark luxury suites and premium tickets, regional sports networks and streaming video, more than half the major leaguers are millionaires.

The average broke the $1 million mark in 1992, topped $2 million in 2001 and reached $3 million in 2008.

By comparison, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers has risen slightly less than fourfold since the first class of free agents started negotiations in November 1976. And the average U.S. wage in 2013, the latest figure available, was $44,888, according to the Social Security Administration, up 1.28 percent from 2012.

“It isn't just the TV deals,” union head Tony Clark wrote in an email to the AP. “From the parity on the field to the fan support & business off it (including the national TV contracts), the industry has never been healthier.”

Last year, the Dodgers opened at $234 million and ended the New York Yankees’ 15-year streak as baseball's biggest spenders. Still seeking their first World Series title since 1988, Los Angeles is No. 1 by a huge margin. The Yankees project to be second at about $215 million, followed by Boston at around $185 million.

Detroit is fourth at roughly $170 million — about $100 million less than the Dodgers. Coming off its third World Series title in five years, San Francisco is fifth, about $1 million behind the Tigers.

The low rollers are led by Miami (about $65 million), with Houston a few million dollars higher. The large-market Mets are right around $100 million, a mark they haven't reached since 2011.

“The industry is doing very well,” Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran said. “The owners are making a lot of money and the salaries for the players are going up.”

Following Kershaw are Detroit pitcher Justin Verlander ($28 million), Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke ($27 million) and injured Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton ($25.4 million). Hamilton has a lengthy history of drug and alcohol abuse, and has been suspended in the past.

The AP's figures include salaries and prorated shares of signing bonuses and other guaranteed income for players on active rosters, disabled lists and the restricted list. For some players, parts of deferred money are discounted to reflect current values.

Payroll numbers factor in adjustments for cash transactions in trades, signing bonuses that are the responsibility of the club agreeing to the contract, option buyouts, and termination pay for released players. San Diego is receiving $18 million from the Dodgers to cover most of Matt Kemp's salary, and the Marlins are getting about $12.68 million from Los Angeles as part of the seven-player trade than sent Dan Haren to Miami.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A playoff spot secured, next up for the Portland Trail Blazers is the Northwest Division title.

The Trail Blazers haven't won the division since 2008-09, when they shared it with the Denver Nuggets. Portland's last outright title came in the 1991-92 season.

“I'm not even sure the last time we even won a division title,” All-Star guard Damian Lillard said. “I'm sure it's been tough having OKC around. If any year there was a great opportunity, it's this year. We just need to keep playing, focus on ourselves, and everything will work out like it's supposed to.”

The Blazers clinched a playoff berth on Monday night with a 109-86 victory over the Phoenix Suns. The victory cut the Blazers’ magic number for winning the division to two.

Lillard scored 19 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 17 points and seven rebounds. The Blazers rested all of their starters in the fourth quarter after building a 92-65 lead. Portland led by as many as 31 points.

The Suns have lost four straight, and while they are mathematically still in the playoff picture, the chances are dwindling. Phoenix plays six of its last eight games on the road.

Gerald Green and T.J. Warren came off the bench to score 13 points. Eric Bledsoe added 12 in the Suns’ seventh loss by 20 or more points this season.

“We played hard but they're a good team,” Bledsoe said. “At the end of the day, that's why they're in the position they're in, trying to fight for a high seed.”

The Blazers also clinched the season series against the Suns for the first time since the 2010-11 season, winning 3-1.

Phoenix was without guard Brandon Knight, who tweaked his sprained left ankle in a 109-97 loss at home to Oklahoma City on Sunday night. Knight had just returned after missing eight games because of the injury.

The Suns were further hurt in the second half when center Alex Len left the game after a collision with Portland center Chris Kaman. The Suns said afterward that X-rays showed Len had a broken nose.

Portland was coming off a 120-114 victory at home over Denver on Saturday.

The Suns jumped in front 15-8 early in the game, but Nicolas Batum's long jumper and 3-pointer pulled Portland ahead 21-17 and the Blazers led 31-22 after the first quarter.

Robin Lopez's tip put the Blazers ahead 53-37, but Green punctuated the first half with a dunk for the Suns to close within 55-49.

Batum hit a 3-pointer that capped a 17-4 run to open the second half and pushed Portland's lead to 72-53. The Blazers outscored the Suns 37-16 in the third quarter.

“We came out lackadaisical,” Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. “No intensity, no real emotion. That's your chance. You come out in that third quarter and make it a little tough on them, then maybe the tide turns.”

Batum finished with 16 points, including four 3-pointers.

Following the game, the reaction in Portland's locker room was muted. Lillard said Aldridge commented, “I'm happy I'm going to the playoffs with y'all,” but that was about it.

“I mean, it wasn't like it was earth-shattering,” coach Terry Stotts said. “Honestly, our goal is beyond just to make the playoffs. ... It's nice to clinch a spot, but we've still got a few games to go that are important to us.”

It is Portland's 31st playoff appearance in franchise history. The Blazers (48-25) moved within a half-game of the Clippers (49-25) for the fourth-best record in the Western Conference and home-court advantage in the first round.

___

TIP-INS

Suns: The Suns are 8-27 when trailing after three quarters, including 5-17 on the road. ... Marcus and Markieff Morris each had 11 points.

Trail Blazers: Portland improved to 30-7 at home. .... The Blazers had signed D-League guard Tim Frazier for the rest of the season. Frazier, who plays for the Maine Red Claws, recently finished a pair of 10-day contracts with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he averaged 5.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 7.2 assists in six games.

ANOTHER MILESTONE

It was Stotts’ 250th career NBA win, and 135th victory with Portland.

“I didn't even know it until someone texted me after the game,” he said.

UP NEXT

Suns: Visit Golden State on Thursday.

Trail Blazers: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

]]>Tue, 31 Mar 2015 12:31:17 -0700On March 16, the McMinnville girls golf team entered a nonleague tournament at Tualatin Country Club as a gauge of its readiness for the 2015 season.

It did not go as well as Grizzlies coach Jeremy Vernon had hoped. Four players carded a score of 110 or higher, and no player finished inside the tournament’s top 15.

The travails at the 2015 season’s beginning stand in contrast to the optimism around the program at the conclusion of 2014. McMinnville finished third in the Class 6A Pacific Conference championships last season, with Emma Beyer finishing the two-day tournament eighth overall and qualifying for the Class 6A Girls Golf State Championships in her freshman season.

“We should be right there (this season),” Vernon said. “We return everybody.”

The new set of courses adherent to the Class 6A Greater Valley Conference will require a recalibration of institutional memory, but the fact remains: all McMinnville’s top six golfers return as part of the 11-person team Vernon and assistant coach Dwight McFaddin have assembled this season.

Beyer, now a sophomore, is at the head of the class. She finished in a tie for 37th at the 2014 6A state championships, held at Emerald Valley Golf Club in Creswell, but demonstrated consistency throughout the 2014 season.

“She’s out there playing consistently,” Vernon said. “She spent a lot time on her short game. When she gets within 100 yards, she needs to start dialing in shots more. She’s been two-putting rather than three-putting, which is nice to see.”

The GVC has some standout individuals, most notably South Salem sophomore Ellie Slama (ninth in state), but Vernon believes the Grizzlies can come together in a big way.

“We don’t have as many matches this year, so it’s definitely important that we’re playing well early and often so hopefully we can get a team to state,” Vernon said.

Boys golf

McMinnville boys golf started its final season in the Class 6A Pacific Conference with momentum but was waylaid at the 2014 conference championships.

The Grizzlies finished in a disappointing tie for sixth place at Quail Valley Golf Course in Banks, though senior Bryce Brooker managed to earn an individual berth to the Class 6A state championships.

Brooker has graduated, but McMinnville returns experience at its upper levels and seldom-seen depth at its lower levels. Grizzlies coach Chris Brooker has 23 golfers on the 2015 squad, giving the Grizzlies substantial competition in junior-varsity and varsity practices.

“There’s a lot of interest in golf this year,” Brooker said. “I think it looks to be a pretty competitive group.”

In Tanner Autencio and Kyle Brooker, McMinnville has a pair of experienced seniors who have performed at high levels on the course.

Autencio qualified individually for the 2013 Class 6A Boys Golf State Championships as a sophomore but was unable to shake the effects of a right wrist injury in 2014 that caused him to withdraw from the Pacific Conference championships after one round. Kyle Brooker, son of Chris and brother of Bryce, consistently placed among the team’s top golfers in his first season in 2014.

“Tanner and Kyle are both on ball restrictions,” Chris Brooker said. “They’re going to get one bucket (of range balls for hitting practice) and the rest of the time either play or work on some other stuff.”

Sophomore Michael Martinoff struggled with inconsistency and back injuries as a freshman, but when healthy he could be among a tournament’s lowest scorers; Brooker also has him under ball restrictions to open the season. Senior Adam Israel remains among the Grizzlies’ top five golfers; sophomores Jacob Simmons and Kyle Dauterman and freshman Clement Anderson are pushing the returners for play in varsity.

In the Class 6A Greater Valley Conference, West Salem and South Salem return young teams that qualified for the 2014 6A state championships, and the West Albany boys finished fourth in Class 5A. The Grizzlies’ objective is clear: get healthy, and adjust to the competition from there.

“I’m anxious to see new places,” Brooker said. “I feel super-optimistic with the numbers and the future.”

]]>Tue, 31 Mar 2015 11:53:27 -0700Kinney, Carson, Tauscher shine at the plate, but walks and errors add up]]>Tue, 31 Mar 2015 11:47:45 -0700How one softball team made the most of an extra week of practice]]>Tue, 31 Mar 2015 11:45:22 -0700Win over Cougars in doubleheader cures (some of) what ails Warriors]]>Tue, 31 Mar 2015 11:40:15 -0700Regular-season championship would be preferable, but a new postseason tournament changes the ‘Cats’ calculus]]>Tue, 31 Mar 2015 11:36:43 -0700Tue, 31 Mar 2015 11:34:08 -0700PORTLAND - Mayor Charlie Hales says Portland's government is joining the reaction against an Indiana law aimed at preventing government from compelling people to do things they object to, such as catering gay weddings.

The law has been widely criticized as allowing discrimination against gays.

Hales said Monday he's suspended city-funded travel to Indiana. He called on business and civic leaders to do the same.

Spokesman Dana Haynes says Portland employees do occasionally travel to Indiana — the planning and development department leaders went recently for a forum. But he says travel is scheduled department by department, and it's not yet known if any trips were in the works.

Oregon regulators are considering sanctions against two bakers who refused to provide a wedding cake to a same-sex couple.

]]>Tue, 31 Mar 2015 09:02:27 -0700SALEM - Ski areas are asking the Oregon Legislature for enhanced protection from lawsuits after the state Supreme Court invalidated the broad liability waivers often printed on the back of lift tickets.

Ski facility executives told the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday that they may have to raise their prices if they aren't shielded from lawsuits. They warned of potentially dire consequences for the rural businesses that rely on skiers in winter months.

But Lauren Bagley, whose son was injured as a teenager at Mount Bachelor in 2006, said ski companies should be held accountable when their man-made equipment fails. Her son, Myles Bagley, was 18 when he fell on a jump and was paralyzed. Mount Bachelor has not been found at fault, but the Supreme Court decision in November gave Bagley the chance to argue in court that the resort was negligent.

Lauren Bagley acknowledged that some factors in ski injuries are beyond the control of ski operators, but said they shouldn't be able to shirk liability for man-made equipment or enhancements to the slope.

“Humans make mistakes,” she told the legislative committee. “They cannot deny the fact that possibly a mistake was made. Not everything is an accident. Some things are preventable. They just shift the blame to the skier, constantly to the skier.”

A 1979 Oregon law declares that skiing is an inherently risky activity and shields ski area operators from liability in some instances. Until last year's Supreme Court case, it was routinely used to block lawsuits by injured skiers and snowboarders.

The bill proposed this year would nullify the decision for future cases, making broad liability waivers enforceable in court. It would prevent lawsuits alleging the ski area was negligent or created unreasonable conditions. Ski resorts would only be liable for intentional acts by their staff or for “gross negligence,” a higher legal standard.

Without the liability waiver, ski areas would be forced to litigate each case brought by an injured skier or snowboarder, even if it ultimately proved it was not negligent, said Andy Ballyeat, a Bend attorney who represents Mount Bachelor and other ski businesses.

“The impact of not updating the skier statue will eventually cost jobs, limit access to public lands, and threaten the economic stability of these areas and the state of Oregon as a whole,” said Matthew Drake, chairman and chief executive of Mt. Hood Meadows.

Floyd Prozanski, a Eugene Democrat who chairs the Judiciary Committee, asked both sides to work together and see if there's room for agreement.

]]>Tue, 31 Mar 2015 09:01:04 -0700PORTLAND - Oregon Zoo officials in Portland say they have euthanized a 31-year-old elephant known for his enthusiasm for painting. They decided Rama was in too much pain from an old leg injury.

The Oregonian reports that Rama was euthanized Monday. Zoo officials say physical therapy techniques and anti-inflammatory medications were no longer working and new modifications did not improve his quality of life.

The elephant suffered a leg injury in 1990 when older female elephants pushed the young bull out of the Portland zoo's herd, a practice naturally seen in the wild. Rama fell into a moat, which has since been filled in.

Rama was a son of the zoo's patriarch elephant, Packy, who survives him.

Zoo officials say Rama had an unusually sweet temperament and loved to paint, creating artwork that was displayed in a Portland gallery.

McMinnville police identified the lone victim as Kenneth Boyd Carver, 53. He received on-scene treatment from McMinnville Fire Department medical personnel before being transported by Life Flight helicopter to Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. He is listed in critical condition.

About 10 p.m., Carver was driving a 1998 GMC Jimmy northbound on Hill Road when the vehicle left the roadway for an undetermined reason and collided with two trees.

The cause remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact officer Steve Macartney at 503-434-7307.

He’ll have some help from local fire departments, service clubs and student groups, who are organizing the Easter egg hunts. Most are scheduled for Saturday, April 4, and almost all are free.

The hunts will take place rain or shine. Even if it’s sunny out, children should wear shoes they don’t mind getting wet. They also should bring baskets in which to collect eggs.

And most important, they should arrive a few minutes early. Egg hunts start promptly and are over faster than you can say “Peter Cottontail.”

In McMinnville, children can attend the venerable Lions’ egg hunt on the McDaniel Lane side of Wortman Park. The free event will start promptly at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 4.

Or they can hunt eggs on the Linfield College campus. The egg hunt will start at 10 a.m. in the Oak Grove.

Before or after hunting eggs, families can enjoy a pancake breakfast at the McMinnville Senior Center, next to the park where the Lions’ event is held.

Walnut City Kiwanis and McMinnville High School Key Club will serve up pancakes, eggs and ham from 7 to 11 a.m. Cost is $6 general or $3 for ages 4-12, at the door or in advance from 503-472-4951.

Another McMinnville egg hunt will take place Sunday, April 5, at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. The Easter Bunny will be on hand for the activities, which cost $10 per child. For more information, call 503-434-4180.

Here’s a list of free egg hunts around the county:

Amity: 10 a.m. April 4, Amity City Park, for children 8 and younger, sponsored by the Amity Fire Department.

Dayton: Two hunts for two different age groups: 10 a.m. in Courthouse Square Park for grades grade three and younger; 10:30 a.m. at Dayton Grade School for fourth- through sixth-graders. Sponsored by Dayton High School FFA.